Sam Hain, Rehan Ahmed and Will Smeed handed opportunity to enhance England credentials with Lions call-up

Tom Abell will captain the side in two 50-over internationals against South Africa at Taunton and Worcester on July 12 and 14

England men have unveiled an exciting 13-strong Lions squad for two 50-over matches against South Africa later this month.

Alongside full internationals Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and David Payne are some of county cricket's brightest young players and established stars.

Somerset's Tom Abell captains the group alongside teammate Will Smeed, fresh from a spell in the Pakistan Super League and a 98 against Surrey in the T20 Blast.

Sam Hain, who has the highest List A average in history at 59.78, leads a three-pronged Warwickshire contingent that also includes Adam Hose and left-arm wrist-spinner Jake Lintott, who was part of The Hundred-winning Southern Brave squad last summer.

Lintott was also the leading spinner in the Blast group stage, taking 22 wickets at 19.45 for Birmingham Bears.

Middlesex's T20 Blast captain Steven Eskinazi completes the batting ranks, alongside Banton and Duckett who have played six and three one-day internationals for England respectively.

Thirty-three-year-old Gloucestershire allrounder Benny Howell is a welcome addition while Sam Cook from Essex returns to the Lions ranks having travelled to Australia over the winter. Payne is included after making his senior England debut in the Netherlands.

Previously part of several ECB pace bowling camps, George Scrimshaw earns recognition after an injury-free run and there is a place for 17-year-old Rehan Ahmed after he backed up bowling England into the Under-19 World Cup final with 19 wickets in the Blast group stage.

^{Jake Lintot's remarkable rise continues (David Rogers/Getty Images)}

The Lions will face a South Africa side drawn from a squad including Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi and Lungi Ngidi in two 50-over matches ahead of the England white-ball series.

Taunton will host the first on July 12 in a bespoke warm-up game, before the concluding fixture on July 14 at Worcestershire's New Road which has List A status.

Men's assistant coach Paul Collingwood will lead the group.

"It's always great when we can bring some of our best and highest potential players together, particularly to take on senior international opposition. The two games provide an excellent opportunity to continue to grow our depth and assess players' readiness for England," said performance director Mo Mobat.

"The squad reflects a balance of England's next best players and some future players of note, as well as high performers from this season's T20 Blast campaign.

"With these games coming at the same time as England ODIs versus India and a County Championship round, we're very appreciative of the collaborative approach of counties, enabling us to field strong teams."

England Lions squad: Tom Abell (Somerset, c), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Tom Banton (Somerset, wk), Sam Cook (Essex), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Steven Eskinazi (Middlesex), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Adam Hose (Warwickshire), Benny Howell (Gloucestershire), Jake Lintott (Warwickshire), David Payne (Gloucestershire), George Scrimshaw (Derbyshire), Will Smeed (Somerset)

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